JPH02198860A - Liquid injection recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the lowering of the quality of recording and the generation of the clogging of a discharge opening by preventing transfer to recording operation when disqualification is decided as the result of the examination for the suitability of a liquid for recording to be used. CONSTITUTION:Residue detecting electrodes 113A and 113B are incorporated into a lead frame 112, and the residue of ink is detected. When ink is not introduced to an ink supply path 114, the ink-residue detecting section 113A is exposed onto a level and electrical continuity between the detecting sections 113A, 113B is interrupted, and reaching to a threshold value of the residue of ink is detected. The proper usage of ink is detected by using the detecting sections of the residue of ink. A reference voltage value Vr obtained by the residue detecting sections when usable ink is positioned sufficiently into an ink tank 102 is stored previously in a ROM. The value of residue detecting voltage V detected by the residue detecting sections and a Vr value are compared, and residue is detected when the V value coincides with the Vr value or is kept within a tolerance. When no-residue is detected, an alarm is generated and each section is stopped, and the exchange of a head cartridge is demanded to an operator. When the V value and the Vr value do not coincide with each other, an alarm is generated informing the inadequacy of the ink being used and the stopping signals of each section are output.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Ru.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a liquid jet recording apparatus (inkjet recording apparatus) according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, 14 is a head cartridge, which integrates a recording head chip having an ink ejection port and a corresponding ejection energy generating element, and an ink tank serving as an ink supply source. . This head cartridge 14 is held on the carriage 1 by a pressing member 41.
5 and are capable of reciprocating in the longitudinal direction along the shaft 21. The ink ejected from the ejection openings of the recording chip reaches the recording medium 18 whose recording surface is regulated by a platen 19 that is arranged at a minute distance from the ejection openings, and forms an image on the recording medium 18. .

An ejection energy generating element (for example, an electrothermal transducer) disposed on the recording radar chip is supplied with an ejection signal corresponding to image data from an appropriate data supply source via a cable 16 and a terminal connected thereto. One or more head cartridges (two in the figure) can be provided depending on the color of ink used and the like.

In addition, in FIG. 1, 17 is a carriage motor for scanning the carriage 15 along the shaft 21;
22 is a wire that transmits the driving force of the motor 17 to the carriage 15. Further, 20 is a feed motor coupled to the platen roller 19 for conveying the recording medium 18.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the structure of the head cartridge 14 in FIG. 1. Here, Ill is the recording head chip shown in FIG. 2, and 112 is the recording head chip Ill, on which plate-shaped conductors are arranged for electrical connection to the main body of the liquid jet recording apparatus through, for example, wire bonding. The wiring members (hereinafter referred to as lead frames), 113^ and 113B are incorporated into this lead frame 112, and remaining amount detection electrodes, 1, which detect the remaining amount of ink as will be described later.
Reference numeral 14 denotes an ink supply path for supplying ink from the ink tank 102 to the recording head itt, and reference numeral 11B represents a partition wall that partitions the ink tank 102 and the ink supply path 114.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the configuration of the detection electrode section according to this example, in which a lead frame 112 is embedded in a housing 117 made of resin, for example, of a head cartridge in which an ink tank 102 and a recording chip 111 are integrated. has been done. Among them, the remaining ink amount detection electrodes 113A and 11
3B is exposed to the ink supply path 114 through the conductive portion 11B, and power is supplied between the electrodes through the resistor R.

In addition, as shown in FIG.
and ribs 120A, 120 alternately from above and below.
B and 120C are provided.

Therefore, the ink guided from the ink tank 102 to the supply path 114 via the ink supply port 119 is guided to the next section by a capillary (not shown) over the first rib 120^, and from there, it is guided through the path indicated by the arrow. The ink is supplied into the print head chip Ill, and is ejected from the ejection ports 26 during printing and the like. Then, when the ink in the ink tank 102 runs out and the ink is no longer guided to the ink supply path opening 4, the liquid level becomes the state shown in FIG. 4, and the remaining ink amount detection section 113A is exposed above the liquid level. Detection unit 113A, 1
Electrical continuity between 13B and 13B is cut off.

Therefore, it is possible to detect that the remaining amount of ink has reached the limit value because the current stops flowing during that time.

Note that the current flows as long as the conductive ink film remains between the sensing electrodes, even if it is small, so if the sensing circuit is configured so that a constant current flows, the voltage V and the remaining amount of ink 1
Since the relationship shown in FIG. 5 is obtained between the two, it is also possible to configure the system to detect the amount of remaining ink 1.

In this example, the remaining ink amount detection section described in connection with FIG.
4 is installed.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of the remaining ink amount detection system.

Here, 50 is a control unit, which has a CPU for executing processing procedures to be described later with reference to FIG. 7, 110M for storing fixed data such as programs corresponding to the processing procedures, and a RAM for work. This control section 50 may also be used as the main control section of the apparatus shown in the first figure.

The ROM also contains a reference voltage value (V'') that will be obtained by the remaining amount detection unit as shown in FIG. Store it.

Reference numeral 57 denotes an alarm device, which may be a display such as an LED, a sound generating device such as a buzzer, or a combination thereof. (2) is the remaining amount detection voltage detected by the remaining amount detecting section shown in the second figure. S is a stop signal for each part that is generated when it is detected that an inappropriate amount of ink is being used or when it is detected that there is no remaining amount of ink.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a processing procedure by the above control system, and this procedure can be started, for example, when replacement of the head cartridge 14 is detected.

When this procedure is started, first, in step S1, the value of V is compared with the value of After completing the process, all that is required is to perform a well-known remaining amount detection at an appropriate timing, and when it is detected that there is no remaining amount, an alarm will be generated and each part will be stopped to prompt the operator to replace the head cartridge. It can be done.

On the other hand, if a mismatch between the V value and the Vr value is detected in step Sl, it is assumed that incompatible ink has been used, and an alarm is generated in step S3, and a stop signal for each part is output in step S5. In other words, according to this procedure, if for some reason ink is stored in the ink tank 102 that does not meet the conditions of the RAD chip 111 (ejection opening diameter, liquid flow path dimensions, etc.), or if the If a head cartridge containing ink that does not meet the conditions (driving energy, etc.) is used, this will be detected and a warning will be issued before the recording operation begins, thereby preventing inconveniences such as deterioration of recording quality and clogging. This can be prevented.

Note that if the configuration is such that the remaining amount of ink is continuously detected using the characteristics shown in Figure 51, the detection voltage V varies depending on the remaining amount even for the same ink, so there is sufficient ink remaining. It is desirable to perform the above procedure when the detection voltage V is approximately constant, but if the configuration is such that the electrode is completely immersed while there is a remaining amount of ink and simply detects the presence or absence of the remaining ink amount, then the above procedure may be performed. A procedure can be triggered at any time.

In addition, although the case where the present invention is applied to a liquid jet recording device using a head cartridge in which a recording head chip and an ink tank are integrated is described above, the recording head chip and the ink tank may be separate bodies. The part does not necessarily have to be disposable. Further, in this case, the ink tank may be placed in any part of the apparatus, and the ink tank may not be in the form of a disposable cartridge but may be refilled with ink by injection or the like.

The above will be explained in detail. Here, the main body of the apparatus is pre-used with a predetermined ink that exhibits a voltage of 2.7 m at a measurement current IO of 5 (μA), that is, an electrical resistance value of 540 Ω under normal usage environment as an ink resistance. Assume that the inkjet recording apparatus has limited driving conditions suitable for use.

When a new recording head containing the above-mentioned ink is installed in this inkjet recording device, the remaining amount detection signal amount between the remaining amount detection element as a detection means provided in the recording head and the inkjet recording device main body is electrically connected to the circuit. They are joined to form a remaining amount detection circuit and a substantial ink electrical resistance detection circuit using this circuit. When a circuit is formed by this attachment, the current for ink resistance measurement l0=
5(μ^) is applied to the sensing electrode, a voltage is obtained as a measurement result. This result is the standard value of 2.7 (V)
If so, it is determined that the ink is appropriate, and the ink is placed in a recording ready state (standby state).

However, under normal usage conditions, even though another new recording head was installed in the main body of the device, the voltage of the previous one was 8.2.
(V), that is, when a detection result of Ω is obtained at 1640, the device requests replacement of the cartridge (recording head) and puts the device in an inoperable state. If such ink resistance does not match the standard value and you continue recording, the drive conditions may not be met and the functions within the device may be impaired, or early recording failures may occur, resulting in product failure. This determination is important because the reliability of

[Other Examples] By the way, when the recording device is used in a special environment, there may be cases where the above embodiments are not sufficient to cope with the situation. 8
This will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 1θ and FIGS. 8 to 13, respectively.

On the other hand, the ink temperature is set to an appropriate temperature in advance, and the reference value corresponding to that temperature is stored in the device main body, and when a new cartridge is installed, the ink is full, so it is determined only at this time. It was designed to do this.

In other examples, on the contrary, it is assumed that the ink resistance changes depending on the temperature, but the reference value of the ink resistance is corrected,
This is to make an appropriate judgment. Of course, it will be clear from the following that the obtained measured values may be corrected in addition to the reference value correction.

In the upper part, ink detection is performed inside the ink tank, but by performing this detection near the ejection energy generating element, more precise ink identification becomes possible.

FIGS. 8(A) and 8(B) illustrate patterns of a silicon substrate in which ejection energy generating elements are formed. On the silicon substrate 1 is an array 3 of resistors 5 which serve as ejection energy generating elements. Insulation heater for heating ink and substrate 8. Temperature sensor that detects the temperature of ink and substrate 2. The wiring portion 6, the electrode pad 4, etc. are constructed by a thin film forming process.

Therefore, by heating the head using the heat-retaining heater 8, the temperature of the entire head including the ink can be kept at 35%.
It can be raised to about ℃. The actual temperature at this time can be accurately measured by the temperature sensor 2 on the silicon substrate.

FIG. 9 shows a liquid chamber 2 that supplies ink to this silicon substrate 1.
3 shows the structure when a top plate 30 that constitutes a nozzle that becomes an ink passage 25 is assembled. A top plate 30 is fixed onto the silicon substrate 1 by adhesive, pressure bonding, or the like. Top plate 3
Ink detection electrodes 33 and 34 are installed in the liquid chamber 23 of 0, and the above-mentioned ink characteristics can be measured by flowing a constant current between the two electrodes and measuring the potential difference between the two electrodes.

Here, in order to perform more precise ink identification, the temperature of the ink is first measured with a temperature sensor on a silicon substrate, and the measured voltage between the ink detection electrodes and the RAM inside the main body are
The temperature of the head is increased to about 35° C., for example, by energizing the zero-order thermal heater for a certain period of time.

At this time, the measured voltage between the ink sensing electrodes is also stored in the main body RAM together with the head temperature measurement value.

Next, check the correspondence between ink temperature and ink resistance value in advance on the main body R.
By saving it as a table in OM, you can check whether the ink resistance value measured during the above sequence is within the allowable range of ink resistance value at each temperature, that is, by comparing the temperature characteristics of the ink. It becomes possible to identify ink in more detail.

FIG. 1O is a block diagram of the previous example, in which the device main body 70
It is shown that the control circuit of the main body is established by the recording head 600 attached to the main body. Note that the initial detection 61 of the recording head means a power distribution section for generating an initial signal provided in advance in the recording head 600, and when the cartridge (recording head) is attached to the main body, the current supplied from the apparatus side detects the recording. It can be recognized that a signal has been generated by returning to the main body side via the head. Once the initial signal is detected,
A high current flows from the main body, causing the power distribution section to become disconnected, making it impossible to detect the initial state. Therefore, those that cannot receive the initial signal have already been determined to be "suitable" and can be used after subsequent attachment and detachment.

After this, as described above, the temperature sensing element 60. Heating means 63. When the temperature control means 710 maintains the predetermined temperature T0 (35° C. in the previous example), the predetermined reference resistance value 707 Rs s'c of the appropriate ink at 35° C. and the resistance R obtained from the resistance detecting means 62 Resistance discrimination circuit 70 that compares
9, it is determined whether the attached recording head is suitable or not. As a result, if recording is possible, the indicator lamp 705 lights up, and if recording is not possible, the indicator lamp (defective head, replacement indicator) 706 blinks.

In this example, considering the ripple for temperature adjustment, (
The permissible range was within the range of R3s·c±several ohms).

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of the latter example, and in FIG. 12,
Control is performed according to a flowchart like this.

However, the same components as in FIG. 10 have the same reference numerals as described above, and therefore their explanation will be omitted.

The feature of this example is that the resistance change corresponding to the temperature of the print head, that is, the temperature of the ink is applied to the reference resistance temperature correction circuit 701, and the correction coefficient α (which is a correction parameter for the resistance change of the appropriate ink) is adjusted to the room temperature TR. By calculating the reference resistance A4R in , the reference value itself is adjusted to the ink temperature, and the discrimination accuracy is improved.

Then, for the measured temperature T, the calculation (A R+α
(T-TR)), and this value is used as a new reference value and compared with the ink resistance value B obtained by the comparison/discrimination circuit 703. This result is processed in the same manner as described above.

The above example is a case where the detected ink resistance is similar to that of the appropriate ink, but as shown in Figure 13, the resistance change range of the appropriate ink is 80 or more even if there are environmental changes or amount fluctuations. If R1, which is smaller than Ro, is determined by the judgment regardless of the state of the attached recording head, the above-mentioned complicated judgment is unnecessary, and it is sufficient to immediately handle the unsuitability. It is preferable to include this determination in the above-mentioned circuit or flowchart, or it may be an independent determination means.

In addition, in each of the above-mentioned sides, the ink remaining amount detection system is also used as a means for determining ink suitability, but the determining means may be provided separately.

Furthermore, although a serial type liquid jet recording device that performs recording while scanning a recording head with respect to a recording medium has been described, the present invention is a so-called multi-type device in which ejection ports are aligned over a range corresponding to the entire width of a recording medium. Of course, it can also be applied very effectively and easily.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, when non-conforming ink is used, this is detected and the recording operation is not performed, so inconveniences such as deterioration of recording quality and clogging of ejection ports are avoided. can be prevented from occurring.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a liquid jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a recording head (head cartridge) according to this embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the remaining ink amount detection section according to the example, taken along the line A-A in FIG. 2, FIG. A characteristic curve diagram showing the relationship between the voltage and the remaining amount of ink when the current flowing between two detection electrodes is kept constant. Figure 6 shows the control for determining ink suitability and detecting the remaining amount of ink according to this embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the control procedure, FIG. 8 (^), (B), FIG. 9, and FIG. 1O show other embodiments of the present invention. FIGS. 11, 12, and 13 are a plan view, a perspective view, and a block diagram for explaining the present invention, respectively. FIGS. 11, 12, and 13 are a block diagram, a flow chart, and a characteristic diagram for explaining still other embodiments of the present invention. 14...Head cartridge, 50...-flJ controller, 57...Alarm device, 102...Ink tank, 1, 11...Recording chip, 112...Lead frame, 113^, 113B ...Remaining ink level detection electrode, 114
...Ink supply path. Fig. 7 Fig. 10 Fig. 12 - (〕Gu ←''

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) Judgment means for judging the suitability of the recording liquid used, and control means for preventing the transition to the recording operation when the recording liquid is determined to be unsuitable as a result of the judgment. A liquid jet recording device characterized by: 2) The liquid jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination means includes a pair of electrodes disposed in the recording liquid supply system, and makes the determination based on a voltage between the electrodes.